Celebrations galore.

Yesterday (Sunday) was Eid or Tabaski as they call it here. As a result things at work began to wind down halfway through last week so people could prepare. Our preparations were minimal however, we did fit in multiple trips to the tailor to get outfits made and altered. It still amazes me how easy it is to get clothes made here and how much effort goes into them. I had a second one made but it doesn’t fit so well which is a shame! Due to preparations last week work was slow and we got very little done, things have stalled a bit and we need a few meetings next week to get things back on track. We went to Baguineda last week to see the rural project but Mali time really showed itself when we ordered the car for 8 for it to arrive at 10. After a two hour journey to the site we arrived at 12 having missed the lessons we wanted to observe. My patience is being VERY tested by Malian time!! Instead our boss took us on a river boat across the Niger to a small fishing village. It wasn't at all a wasted journey as it was so beautiful on the river. Apparently there used to be hippos there but they had left- such a shame! It turned out the purpose of the trip was to collect some women who wanted to go to the market and also a donkey. YES you heard right, a donkey. It was quite surreal but also traumatising watching him get knocked over and tied into the boat. He kicked all the way but happily trotted off at the other side! I love their novel ways of transporting things, and this has also been visible this week with goats and sheep- hundreds of them riding on top of busses and being carried on motorbikes in preparation for the Tabaski sacrifice. Because the animals are sacrificed for Tabaski they have been everywhere this week and it was even hard to sleep as they bleat so loud! Bamako smelled like sheep and sounded like it too!

Friday saw Shawana’s Malian birthday (and also the worst stomach cramps I have ever had!) and to celebrate it (the birthday that is!) we went for shisha (possibly the first and last time I will do that one..after inhaling half of Bamako's dust which seemed to get trapped inside!) and pizza at the Algerian patisserie around the corner.  This continued our theme of mega eating this week, after eating curry and ice cream the night before. Definitely nice to have a change from rice and sauce or bread and pretend cheese! After dinner we had a girly night which was much fun and involved face masks, henna, chocolate cake and Usher! Sam is really amazing at doing Mehndi , so my hands got quite the transformation. It was nice to have a night in before the business of the weekend!

On Saturday morning we were invited to EDA which is a school for deaf children. The group before had organised dance lessons for the children and they had been working with a choreographer on a performance for dance festival Danse Bamako Danse. Their performances mixed contemporary and modern and were amazing. The children danced to the vibrations of the drum and were amazingly in time. It was positive to see the work of other organisations in Bamako and the enthusiasm of the children who after their performance proceeded to dance out of the door!

 

On Saturday evening we were invited to a Bonfire Night party at Rob’s house (he is an ethnomusicologist from the UK.) It was so nice to be invited into someone’s home but made me miss mine a lot. We watched  and they were beautiful especially in a sky that you can see the stars in. The local kids however did not feel so enthused and threw corn over the wall! Even though I am here to learn about the local culture sometimes it is nice to have a little bit of familiarity (and a jacket potato!) I also saw some more of the expat community last week at a private view for a photography exhibition, it was so full of French people and felt like another world but was quite a nice one to be in, although one of canapés and free wine made me feel strangely greedy in comparison to what I see everyday. Nonetheless  it reminded me of home and was nice to see some art. This week my sister’s art exhibition opened in York and I was sad not to be able to attend. It was however nice to be involved in something arty in Bamako, even if it was little comparison. Whilst I really like the local culture and the friendliness of the people I am finding myself more and more drawn towards familiarity. 

Sunday very quickly took me out of my comfort zone and I loved it! As it was the first day of Tabaski we were invited to Dolo's family home. He works  at International Service and invited us to celebrate the festivities with a feast. The day started very early and we got up and dressed into our new outfits, it is tradition to buy new clothes for Tabaski and we chose traditional ones which is nice. 

When we were ready we set to the difficult task of finding a taxi- like finding one on News years eve. It is traditional to sacrifice animals for Tabaski and waiting for the taxi we saw and heard a lot of this. I surprisingly didnt mind and found it quite interesting although there was lots of blood on the street which was not nice, nor was the bleating that filled the city. The taxi ride was nice as the city was so quiet and we got to see families in their "sunday best" on the way back from mosque. Some mosques were so full hundreds of people prayed in the courtyard. We were greeted at Dolo's family and introduced to his extended family, he lives in a beautiful house set round a courtyard with lots of mango trees.Sitting underneath listening to Malian music (and Akon..) was idyllic! We arrived just as the sheep had been sacrificed by the head of the family and was hanging from the tree. (I wont put a picture in case you are squeamish!) He was then cut up and taken to the outdoor kitchen for preparation with the exception of the head and legs which are used for a stew that they have for breakfast. ( I am slightly grateful we were not there for breakfast) Some of the girls prepared the meat and then me , Soph and Lucy put it on sticks for brochettes. Then began the theme of the day..eating! We were given cake and biscuits firstly and shortly after meat and chips. Thinking this was the main meal we all tucked in but no this was just a starter as over the next few hours we were fed mutton brochettes and meat and fonio (its like couscous) and Watermelon. Dolo then brought out a big mattress and set it under the tree..quite ideal for slipping into a food coma!

We were then taken to greet lots of the neighbors, it was difficult without Bambara as we were greeted with lots of good wishes but struggled to reply. The family value of Tabaski really struck a chord with me as extended family was invited round and neighbors and friends greeted. It made me want a big family (although i like my little one too!) Little children dressed in beautiful clothes greeted the families and played in the streets whilst families huddled around the table together. Being given the opportunity to gain insight into both Muslim and Malian culture was interesting and a definite honor. It was so lovely to be invited into a family to celebrate with. Today I have donned my second dress to attend another Tabaski celebration at lunchtime! More on that one later!

Bonne Fete a tous!

A bientot!

X